This beautiful sword has a lightly curved 32 inch blade with a spread wing bald eagle and "E PLURIBUS UNUM" design with gilt background etched on the right side and "U.S." along with "TIFFANY/& Co./NEW YORK" etched on the left side also backed with gold along with the "COLLINS&CO/HARTFORD/CON/1862" maker's mark and date on the left ricasso. It has a floral pattern brass hilt with nickel-silver grip engraved with coordinating floral patterns and a silver bald eagle pommel. The scabbard has a nickel body engraved with floral, classical, and patriotic designs highlighted with gold backgrounds; silver fittings with coordinating decoration, "TIFFANY & CO/NY" on the reverse, and "Presented to/Capt. R.B. Fairchild/by Co. B 8th Regt C.N.G./Oct. 15, 1868" inscribed between the suspension bands on the obverse. A trip to West Point by Company B of the 8th Regiment and Captain Fairchild is noted in "The United States Army and Navy Journal and Gazette of the Regular and Volunteer Forces" for 1867-1868 in an entry from July 25, 1868, that notes the excursion was to take place the next month. Robert Bruce Fairchild (1836-1878) was a member of the City Guard in Bridgeport at the beginning of the Civil War. During the war, he served in Company I of the 23rd Connecticut Infantry. In 1865, he was elected second lieutenant of Company B (Sedgwick Guards) of the 8th Connecticut National Guards and was elected captain the following year. In 1870, he was promoted to major in the 4th Regiment and then lieutenant colonel in 1873 and finally colonel in 1877. He was the author of "General Rules for Non-Commissioned Officers" published in 1873 and also was a partner in the clothing firm Sammis & Fairchild in Bridgeport.